KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UMKC men’s soccer team (4-4-3, 2-1 WAC) will close its longest road stretch of the season this weekend, when it travels to Utah Valley (3-8-1, 0-3-1 WAC) on Thursday and Seattle U (9-2-1, 3-0-1 WAC) on Saturday.

Follow

Live stats will be available for fans to follow during UMKC’s matches at Utah Valley and Seattle U, while in-game updates will also be provided for fans through the team’s Twitter account. Fans can stream live video of each game for free through the WAC Digital Network.

About the Roos

The 2017 season marks the 20th under the direction of Rick Benben. UMKC boasts a 36-26-6 (.574) record at its home facility and will play the most home matches in a single season at Durwood Soccer Stadium, hosting 11 opponents this season.

For the second-consecutive week – and third time this season – the Roos are regionally ranked in the top-nine, according to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I West Region poll.

As a team, UMKC currently ranks in the top five in the WAC in several categories, including shots (146), goals (16) and shutouts (4). The Roos are first in saves (48) and goals allowed (14), as starting goalkeeper Filippo Errico (Verona, Italy) has tabulated the third-best save percentage (.763) in the league.

Junior forward Pandelis Popgeorgiev (Budapest, Hungary) led the offensive charge for the Roos in UMKC’s 3-1 loss at Houston Baptist (Oct. 5), as his nine shots fell one shot shy of the program record and tied for second-most in a single game in school history. A total of nine Roos combined for a season-high 29 shots in the game – just four shy of a conference match record in the WAC.

Senior captain Eric McWoods (St. Louis, Mo.) was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 2 for his outstanding performances against UT Rio Grande Valley (Sept. 29) and Incarnate Word (Oct. 1) to help the Roos to a 2-0 start in league play for the first time since the 2012 season. McWoods’ hat trick against the Vaqueros is the first for a Roo since the 2010 campaign and the fourth in the WAC this season. His 17 points and seven goals overall ranks second in the conference.

The Roos battled to a 2-2 double overtime draw at Milwaukee (Sept. 12) to notch their third draw in three games. UMKC’s three draws so far this year is just one shy of tying the most in a single season by the program.

Errico earned WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 4 after making a season-high seven saves en route to his third consecutive shutout against Rutgers (Sept. 3).

McWoods earned his first career WAC Offensive Player of the Week nod on Aug. 28 after finishing the two game series against Central Arkansas and Northwestern with eight shots, two goals, two assists and six points.

About the Wolverines

Utah Valley enters Thursday’s match with an overall record of 3-8-1 and is still seeking its first conference win of the season. The Wolverines have won just a single game on their home field, after taking down Akron, 1-0, to open the 2017 slate. Utah Valley is led on the pitch by Gui Leme and Paul Hoffmeister, who have each tallied at least one goal this season for the Wolverines.

About the Redhawks

Seattle U will play 12th-ranked Air Force on Thursday before hosting UMKC on Saturday. The Redhawks are currently 9-2-1 overall and have not dropped a conference match to this point, posting a WAC record of 3-0-1. Seattle U is most recently coming off of a 2-0 victory at Incarnate Word, as Gabriel Ruiz and Alex Roldan both netted a goal. The Redhawks rank in the top one or two in several major statistical categories in the league and are currently receiving votes to join the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 list.

Up Next

The Roos will return to Durwood Soccer Stadium for a pair of games when they host Grand Canyon (Oct. 20) and UNLV (Oct. 22) to continue conference competition.